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11 Things Brands Still Get Wrong About Authenticity (and How to Get It Right)

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By Rolling Stone Culture Council

Authenticity isn’t a trend or tagline. It’s a long-term commitment to consistency, accountability and real human connection.

In an era where consumers can spot performative messaging from a mile away, “authenticity” has become one of the most overused and misunderstood ideas in branding. Too often, companies mistake relatability for honesty or aesthetics for values, only to lose trust when their actions don’t align with their words.

Here, 11 Rolling Stone Culture Council members explain what today’s brands commonly get wrong about authenticity and what it really takes to build real, lasting connections with audiences. By showing up consistently and letting your values guide you, your brand will be well on its way to being truly genuine.

Forcing Your Brand Into a Crowded Space

Too many brands force themselves into a crowded space instead of creating their own space. Make decisions rooted in values versus trends. Do what’s right for your brand and community — not because everyone else is doing it or because it’s never been done. Meet your audience where they are and your audience will meet you where the truth is. – Zech Francis, BeatBox Beverages

Treating Authenticity as Messaging Instead of a Responsibility

Brands miss authenticity when they treat it as messaging, not responsibility. Real leadership isn’t polished statements; it’s consistent action. Social impact isn’t a campaign; it’s accountability. If your values vanish when it’s inconvenient, that’s not authenticity — it’s performance. Purpose must be practiced, not posted. – Kimberly S. Reed, Reed Development Group

Mistaking Authenticity for Performance

Brands mistake authenticity for performance by sharing “raw,” unpolished moments. This is just self-proclaimed noise. The better way? Verifiable consistency. True authenticity isn’t what you claim; it’s what your entire digital ecosystem proves. It’s a clear, consistent and corroborated narrative that algorithms can understand and audiences can trust. – Jason Barnard, Kalicube

Oversharing Raw Emotion

Most brands mistake authenticity for oversharing. Authenticity isn’t dumping raw emotion online — it’s consistency between what you say, what you do and how you show up. The better path is disciplined honesty. Communicate with clarity, keep your promises and let integrity — not algorithms — shape your voice. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

Viewing Authenticity as a Tactic

Too many brands treat “authenticity” as a tactic rather than a mindset. Connections built on quality, consistency and a story that feels genuine are real connections. The most enduring brands pair a solid product with a spark of personality, successfully pivoting with the times while maintaining a core ethos. One can’t fake trust; however, one can build it one honest interaction at a time. – Thomas Andersen, BTA Cannabis CPA Tax

Just Talking About What You Do Without the ‘Why’ Behind It

The best way forward for brands that truly want to connect is to get real. That means being honest about the good and the bad, pulling back the curtain and letting people see what really happens behind the scenes. Don’t just talk about what you do — share why you do it. That’s how you build real trust: through consistency, honesty and actions that actually mean something over time. – Jeff Hopmayer, Brindiamo Group LLC

Being Unwilling to Pay the ‘Cost’ of Authenticity

Brands believe that authenticity and values go together (and rightly so). But values, by definition, cost something. And audiences are wary of convenient values that change the moment they become inconvenient. So, what is your brand prepared to give up for the sake of your values? Revenue? Convenience? Popularity? Either consistently pay the cost or don’t claim to hold the value. – Jed Brewer, Good Loud Media

Treating Authenticity as an Aesthetic or Filter

Most brands treat authenticity like an aesthetic — a tone, a filter, a “real” post. But true authenticity isn’t what you show; it’s what you sustain. It’s built through consistency, not confession. The future belongs to brands that design systems of sincerity, where integrity is visible, not staged. – Sudhir Gupta, The Facticerie

Failing to Have a Mission, Ethos and Strategic Plan in Place for Communications

Brands across existing and new brand categories are best served by having a mission, ethos and strategic plan when it comes to communicating with their audiences, customers and investors. Authenticity is a byproduct of your messaging when you are doing it right. It will shine through in well-thought-out and articulated content that is aligned with your roadmap and goals. – Julie Zinamon, Vataseason

Chasing Trends Instead of Originality

Everyone’s doing the same exact thing that’s trending at any given moment. Audiences don’t care to see the same content over and over. With all due respect to the social media teams, originality still triumphs over short-term vitality. – Kathy Schenfelt, SCH Entertainment

Performing Vulnerability While Hiding What’s Behind the Scenes

Most brands treat authenticity like confessions. They perform as vulnerable on socials while hiding their operating systems and what truly holds their missions. Real authenticity is governance: clear standards, fair policies and receipts. Show how you decide and what you fix when you fail, and invite an audit. Consistency beats confessions every time. – Sonia Singh, Center of Inner Transformations

Feature image credit: Tamani C/peopleimages.com — stock.adobe.com

By Rolling Stone Culture Council

Sourced from RollingStone

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‘Who actually loves authentic content?’ Brands need to understand their value exchange

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By Ryan Reddick

A few years ago I was working on the Coffee vs Gangs content series. After a successful launch, which saw Kenco help young Hondurans out of gangs by training them as coffee farmers, l found myself in an all agency meeting. After some initial self-congratulatory backslapping, discussion of the ‘raw authenticity’ led to a new addition to the group confidently chiming in.

‘I loved the first series and was wondering if it might be possible to see some of the kids from the gangs drinking Kenco’.

Awkward pause.

We’ll come back to that.

Fast-forward a few years to The Drum Content Awards, of which I recently had the pleasure of sitting on the judging panel. To kick off the day all the judges took part in an ice breaker, where we were asked to share our thoughts on ‘authenticity’ in content.

A question like this is catnip for content professionals. And the 25 of us, all released from our respective agencies formed a warm cosy echo chamber. One which made us feel reassured that we are all saying the same things to our clients and none of us are doing it wrong.

I listened. But I contributed nothing. Because the only thought I had ringing around my head was ‘isn’t all this just bollocks?’ Which wouldn’t have gone down well at all.

That’s not to say that my fellow judges didn’t engage in an intelligent and considered discussion. But this wasn’t about them. It was about the concept of ‘authenticity’ itself.

Before I go on, I dare any current creative or content specialist to review their proposals, treatments and pitches delivered in the last three months and not cringe at overuse bordering on abuse of the word.

The truth is, it’s become a dog whistle we blow on in front of our colleagues and clients to try and sell ideas without thinking about it. But when you actually think about it, it means very little on the outside world.

When was the last time anyone saw a piece of content and said ‘I love it because of its authenticity’?

Never.

Because no one ever says that.

Alongside ‘disruptive’, ‘authentic’ has become a nonsense husk of a word that means nothing and everything to us in our comfy communications and marketing circles.

That’s not to say that Kaepernick or Patagonia Black Friday didn’t come from a truly brilliant place. In the same way that featuring a bunch of troubled kids from gangs drinking Kenco obviously comes from a hideous one. But let’s not over inflate the sentiment behind this too much. Or to bastardise the words of Scroobius Pip –

Nike. Just a brand

Patagonia. Just a brand

Kenco. Just a brand

When a consumer engages with any form of content made by a brand or business an unspoken contract is entered into. ‘I know you are trying to sell me something or make me like you so I eventually buy something. But I’m willing to let you do that in exchange for getting something back’.

And this is far more authentic than authenticity. Because authenticity may be dead, but the authentic value exchange is very much alive.

I am willing to engage with your marketing, communication or advertising in exchange for you entertaining me. Making me laugh. Teaching me something new. Helping me with utility that enables me to do my job better.

Authentic value exchange. Much better. Not hiding behind the fact that something is authentic just for the sake of it when we all know what’s going on. Consumers are not stupid.

And that’s what was great about judging The Drum Content Awards. To see so many examples of exceptional work that creates a compelling value exchange between brand and consumer.

Examples that used comedy in exchange for brand trust around online security (Santander), that answered fuel economy questions in exchange for consideration of an electric alternative (Nissan Leaf) and that showed future parents what having children really looks like to build market share of their baby wipe brand (WaterWipes).

And by the way, in case you were interested.

We never featured any gang member drinking Kenco.

Now that’s authentic.

Feature Image Credit: ‘Who actually loves authentic content?’ Brands need to understand their value exchange

By Ryan Reddick

Ryan Reddick, creative director, Edelman is a judge for The Drum Content Awards 2019. A full list of the finalists can be found here. The awards ceremony will take place in London on October 30 at The Marriot Grosvenor Square Hotel, tickets can be purchased now.

Sourced from The Drum

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Marketers need to focus on authenticity to beat influencer fraud

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By Aaron Brooks,

The Times recently reported that influencer marketing fraud costs sponsors, on average, £1 billion each year. This waste is attributed to social creators with inauthentic audiences. Brands are pouring their marketing funds into influencer collaborations which are broadcast to bot accounts, rather than receptive, engaged social audiences.

For anyone close to the influencer marketing industry, fake followers are old news. They are the unfortunate but inevitable hangers on that come with large social followings. Respectable influencers will regularly and ruthlessly delete them, knowing what a negative impact silent and inactive followers can have on the performance of their posts and their reputation. Manually checking new followers and gauging their authenticity is necessary admin for a social content creator – and the only way to keep the value in their followings.

On the other hand, some influencers still intentionally buy fake followers to enhance their follower count. It’s something that content and influencer marketing platforms – and Instagram themselves – have been cracking down on for years. The fact that someone has slapped a valuation on its impact has brought it back to focus.

Looking beyond reach 

The practise of buying fake followers originated with brands’ obsession with reach. The bigger audience an influencer had, the more interest they got and higher fees they received. Attempts to ‘game the system’ were made by smaller influencers trying to get a crack at the big brand endorsement deals.

It didn’t take long for the wheels to come off this half-baked plan. As marketers realised engagement (likes and comments) was actually more valuable than reach, influencers realised that high volumes of silent and inactive followers were in fact causing their engagement rates to plummet. Fake followers can’t mimic the same engagement as a loyal and genuine following, built up over years of posting.

Despite this, some marketers remain hopelessly devoted to reach. I have no doubt that those still ploughing their budgets into influencers with large followings, without doing due diligence on whether they are actually real, are losing money.

Luckily there are no shortage of amazing influencers to partner with. There are just as many creative, professional and authentic influencers that will deliver results, as there are wannabes with falsely inflated followings. A considered selection process is key.

Focussing on solid ROI

A genuine following should be the minimum requirement for brands partnering with influencers.

Advanced analytics can now tell a brand where an influencer’s following is based and how old they are, so marketers can target their customers with precision. Relevancy is essential for an effective campaign. The focus shouldn’t be how many people see the posts, but rather how many of the right people see the posts.

Brands should also be aiming higher when it comes to the results of an influencer marketing collaboration. Reach and engagement should come as standard, a natural byproduct of a campaign that achieves solid return on investment, sales uplift or app downloads. These are far more valuable metrics to focus on and diverts attention away from the size of an influencers following.

The end of Instagram likes?

As the influencer marketing industry matures, Instagram is moving the goal posts too. Their recent trial to hide likes from public view caused a stir in the marketing press. While it’s only being tested in a selected number of countries, many asked whether it was ‘the end for influencer marketing’. But I believe it will make for a more authentic practise.

Firstly, it will force agencies and campaigns that have pinned their success on empty vanity metrics, such as likes, to up their game. Visible engagement can not and should not be used to justify an influencer campaign. Let’s look at the real, transparent return on investment.

I think it will also place a renewed focus on quality and individuality. Creators will no longer feel constrained by pressure to chase likes and will be free to make content that feels more authentic. Content that’s braver and doesn’t follow a tried and tested aesthetic. This renaissance in creativity is likely to spark a surge in engagement across the board. Weary social users – increasingly feeling as if they have seen it all before – crave this authenticity. They want to see something new.

Keeping the industry authentic

Brand ambassadors have been – and will always be – an effective marketing tactic. Thankfully software is becoming much more sophisticated and adept in spotting fraudulent accounts. But to preserve the power of the channel, all parties involved must uphold their responsibility to keep the industry clean. Just as influencers monitor their followings, brands must be just as diligent with their choice of partners. Do your background checks. Make sure that their engagement rate correlates with their following, or enlist the help of a platform.

With more conversion functions from Instagram – like shoppable tags and ‘swipe up to buy’ –  the potential for influencer marketing is huge. Prioritise authenticity, practise due diligence and you can be sure your efforts will be rewarded.

By Aaron Brooks,

Co-founder of mobile content and influencer marketing platform, Vamp

Sourced from Global Banking & Finance Review

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Personal Branding Sucks

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By Ted Leonhardt

Hey! Get on board with this critically important personal branding advice! You too can become a brand like Nike, Apple, or Tesla. You too can be famous like Steve Jobs. Sheryl Sandberg. Oprah! You just need a logo, a catchy name, and an elevator pitch. That’ll get you started. Then add:

Social media – The new “how to win friends and influence people” comes envy-enabled and bursting with bunny pics. Tag your momma and hashtag your mantra.

Public speaking – Why not be brave? The only thing people are more scared of is dogs. Imagine yourself entrancing that huge audience as you clickety-click through your PowerPoint. Dare I use the “T word?” Big stage TED is public speaking on steroids.

Write a book, become a thought leader – Imagine how many books you’ll sell once your TED talk goes viral.

Do all these things. Be confident (even when you feel vulnerable), be original (even if it means copying someone), develop your elevator pitch (even if you’re afraid of heights) and build your personal brand. Once you become a brand, the world will follow.

Screw that (if you even made it this far). People are people and brands are brands. Branding was created to inject innate, commodity products with human characteristics so the products would be more appealing to humans. “Defining the functional and emotional benefits” is what it’s called in brand-consulting land.

We are born with functional and emotional benefits and spend our lives creating a reputation, not a damn brand The fact is, we are born with functional and emotional benefits and spend our lives creating a reputation, not a damn brand. Did some personal branding expert tell you to create an elevator pitch? Don’t do it. It’s disingenuous and degrading. Elevator pitches make the listener uncomfortable. And mostly they make the speaker feel weird too. Next time you’re stuck in an elevator with someone just say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards three times.

They’ll remember that!

People: To mangle a Walt Whitman quote, humans are large and contain multitudes. Complex, textured, smart-and-stupid. Contradictory. Jam-packed with congenital emotional and functional benefits. Connect with others auto-magically.
Hidden attributes make us interesting.

Brands: Consistent, reliable experiences. Simple, clear, and direct. Have emotional and functional benefits made up (by people!). Strive to connect personally so people will spend money. Hidden attributes­­ –bad.

Personal-plus-branding is no peanut butter-plus-chocolate accidental smashup that turns out just right. It’s a bad fit. It means you are a liar, creating a fictional story about yourself. Your real story is much more interesting.

Where To Start?

Find a way that you really help people. This might be something you already know about, but be open to surprising yourself. Ask the people you work with and interact with for some specifics on how you’ve helped them.

Stand for something that’s important to you and extend that to others. What matters to the people you want to matter to? And what do people need? These are great ways to build community.

Build on your existing reputation, what you’re known for, what you love to do.

Let people know what drives you. Let people know who you are, what your personal interests are.

Take care of yourself and your personal sustenance by pinpointing the place that your skills and expertise intersect with money.

Talking About It – What We Can Learn From Brands

Be clear and direct when you present what you do.

Just do it.

The Real Thing

Driving Machine

Think Different

Most people struggle with being brief and that’s fine. You’re not a brand, and you don’t need an elevator pitch. But it’s all right to think in terms of concision and of communicating in a way that doesn’t impose on others’ time.

What’s the issue you want to explain to a prospect, investor, coworker, friend, or client? Why is this problem a problem? Who needs the help? And why do they need help? How you will solve their problem?

What we can learn from brands: Be clear and direct when you present what you do. Describe it in three sentences or fewer. Here’s what I’ve been saying about my work:

Creatives are more emotional than the general population and have a difficult time asking for money as a result. I provide insights and techniques specifically designed for creatives to ask for and get the money they need to succeed.

What we can learn from brands: Be clear and direct when you present what you do. Get it down to three words. Mine:

Protector of creatives.

On the face of it, distilling your essence down to three words might seem like coming up with a personal brand. But it’s not. For example, you could take those three words and build a brand around them, but you couldn’t take me and shape me around three little words if the fit wasn’t there. It’s a reasonably fine line to walk, the one between writing fiction about yourself and using words to tell your story. You’ll know you’re walking on the right side of the line when you feel empowered and emboldened, not like you’ve just constructed a house of cards.

By Ted Leonhardt

Ted Leonhardt is a designer and illustrator, and former global creative director of FITCH Worldwide. His specialized approach to negotiation helps creative workers build on their strengths and own their value in the marketplace. Ted is the author of Nail It, a contributor to Fast Company, and publisher of NAIL Magazine.

Sourced from Brand Quarterly

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